By Jeff Crouere
Saturday, August 10, 2013
In Roman history, few emperors are as reviled as Nero,
who famously fiddled while the beautiful city of Rome burned. Most historians
believe Nero allowed the city to burn so there would be space for his own grand
palace. In the end, Nero was undone by his pettiness; his tyranny and his
extravagance.
Thankfully, America does not have an emperor; we have a
public servant in the highest office.
Our President is responsible for his or her actions and stands before
the voters every four years.
Our current President, Barack Obama, was elected twice
and now does not have to worry about his approval ratings or another election.
He is term limited and free to pursue his liberal agenda to his heart’s
content.
He is also free to enjoy the perks of the highest office
without suffering the wrath of the voters.
This week, as his country is in the midst of a poor
economy and his citizens are not allowed to visit the White House because of
budget cuts, the President and his family will be taking another extravagant
vacation at Martha’s Vineyard, the playground of the rich. The Obama family enjoys the lifestyles of the
rich and famous and has vacationed in exotic locales like Mexico, Bahamas,
Aspen, Palm Beach, New York, Hawaii, Spain, and Africa to name only a few.
President Obama has just returned from a $100 million
trip to Africa. While there was “official business” to conduct on this visit,
there was also plenty of time for sightseeing.
No need to worry about any “official business” at
Martha’s Vineyard. The First Family will be enjoying the sights, while the
President will be enjoying the golf course. They will be staying in an $8
million mansion, owned by a Democratic activist and donor.
Who knows how much this will cost the American taxpayer?
It costs $180,000 per hour to operate Air Force One and the Secret Service
entourage is extensive and expensive.
During a recent trip to Hawaii, the two day hotel costs for agents was
an eye popping $83,000.
The President will be traveling while our embassies
remain closed in the Middle East, our relationship with Russia is at a crisis
point and his fellow Americans are reeling from the effects of his economic
policies. As he plays golf, there is still a budget stalemate with Congress,
forcing the Defense Department and many other federal agencies to furlough
employees.
In the last jobs report, 37,000 more Americans left the
workforce altogether, joining 90 million Americans who are either unable or
unwilling to find gainful employment in the Obama economy. A record 47.5
million Americans are now receiving food stamps, while millions of others
receive some type of government assistance.
Of all of the jobs that have been created during the
Obama years, an amazing 77% have been part-time positions, which hardly
providing adequate wages to raise a family in this tough economy. With these long term problems impacting the
labor force, it is more than ironic that the President disbanded his Jobs
Council.
At this point, it would be a show of solidarity with
Americans if the President and his family toned down their extravagant
lifestyle, which is provided by beleaguered taxpayers.
Of course, the Obama family does not feel such concern
for their fellow citizens. They will continue to soak the taxpayers until the
final hours of the President’s term. Therefore, Congress should pass
legislation which limits the budget for presidential vacations, so the
taxpayers are not funding an American version of royalty.
Fortunately, our country is not a monarchy or an empire.
We don’t have a King or an Emperor; however, we should demand a President who
is in touch with the needs of his people and aware of their condition.
This President seems hopelessly tone deaf to the economic
problems in the United States, but he is very aware of vacation plans and how
to make a tee time at the local golf course.
While he has played 133 rounds of golf as President, the
U.S. death toll has reached 2,260 in Afghanistan. At home, poor economic conditions have added
to the economic disparity between the rich and poor and it is no surprise that
race relations have worsened since the President has done nothing to bring the
races together
Nero fiddled, Obama golfed. Rome burned, the U.S. is
burning.
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